One or more of a plurality of services (e.g., data, video, voice, etc.) may be delivered to a subscriber premise and may be distributed to one or more client devices (e.g., wireless stations) through a central subscriber device such as a customer premise equipment (CPE) device. The central subscriber device may act as or include an access point providing a wireless interface for one or more wireless stations, and the wireless interface may be used to deliver wireless communications to the one or more wireless stations. For example, a tuner associated with the access point may be tuned to a specific channel, and communications (e.g., packets) output from the access point may be delivered to one or more target stations over the specific channel.
At times, a specific channel utilized by an access point may become impaired (e.g., congested). For example, wireless channel congestion may be caused by a large number of stations accessing the access point, high bitrate streams being delivered over the specific channel, or interference caused by devices operating on nearby channels or by neighboring access points utilizing the specific channel. When a wireless channel becomes impaired to the point that the services delivered from an access point to one or more stations begin to degrade, it may become desirable for the access point to switch to a channel that is less impaired. Ideally, the access point would identify a clear channel before tuning away from the currently utilized channel. For example, a clear channel, as the term is used herein, may include a more advantageous channel (e.g., a channel with less congestion than the channel currently tuned to by the access point).
In order to identify a more advantageous channel, an access point would typically need to scan one or more other channels to determine the level of congestion at the other channels. However, when the access point is providing certain vulnerable services (e.g., high bitrate transfers, real-time communications, streaming video, etc.) to one or more stations, the brief tuning of the access point to a different channel for the purpose of scanning the channel may cause an unwanted disruption (e.g., video stalling, macro-blocking, etc.) to the vulnerable services. Moreover, when the different channel is a dynamic frequency selection (DFS) channel, the access point would typically need to scan the channel for at least a predetermined period of time (e.g., sixty (60) seconds) to determine whether a radar signal is present on the channel. The lengthy period of time during which the access point is tuned away from the channel over which services are being delivered to the station(s) may have undesirable effects on the services being provided to those station(s) by the access point. Therefore, a need exists for improving methods and systems for identifying a more advantageous wireless channel.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.